About Us
Who Are the Friends of Barnabas?
The Friends of Barnabas Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-governmental organization and its mission is to improve the lives of poor Honduran children by providing high quality sustainable medical care and enabling communities to become self sufficient through health-related training and education. At the core of this mission is a love of humanity and service to those who are not as blessed as others.
The Friends of Barnabas Foundation focuses its work in Honduras, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and we are committed to improving the lives of impoverished families and to saving the lives of children in need.
FOBF’s programs address each component of the Honduran healthcare system, from community based programs to system wide endeavors. These programs:
* provide healthcare services to those without access,
* teach preventative health education,
* empower and improve the capacity of local healthcare providers,
* offer an unprecedented Extended Care Program for children with serious medical needs,
* provide a Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Program utilized by children throughout Honduras.
Since 2000, FOBF has provided free medical care to over 210,000 children and adults in the rural mountain areas of Honduras, over 23,000 pairs of eyeglasses to those in need, more than 850 life saving and life changing surgeries for children, and services to over 26,000 children and adults at FOBF’s Barnabas House Clinic.
Honduras is a small country comprised of approximately seven million people. Practically five million of the population lives in poverty and more than two million have no access to basic health services, many of them children. FOBF has reached approximately 11% of those without any access to medical services. Much has been done but more work is needed. Many more children live each day without the quality of care that they deserve.
Who Was Barnabas?
For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means ‘Son of Encouragement’). He was from the Tribe of Levi and came from the Island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for those in need.” Acts 4:36,37 (NLB) Barnabas was a very early convert to the new religion of Christianity and upon his conversion, he immediately sold his property and devoted the proceeds to the church. For this and like acts, he was renamed Son of Encouragement.
